Lawless - Film Review

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Hardy and LaBeouf are flawless in new violent film Lawless

Lawless is a hard-hitting take on a true story about three brothers who stick together through thick and thin whilst running a moonshine business selling to tough customers with very tough consequences.



Tom Hardy has had a summer, let alone year, he'll never forget after this smash hit. First he stars in the brutal 'Warrior', then the rom-com 'This Means War' and finally the blockbuster 'The Dark Knight Rises' as head villain Bane. Shia LaBeouf's year has been quite the opposite, with no significant film roles since 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon', Lawless has been quite the wait for young Shia. Once the project was picked up and assigned to John Hillcoat ('The Road', 'The Proposition'), Nick Cave (screenplay) could begin work with John to create this masterpiece based on true events.

The script is superbly written with every scene and sentence running perfectly creating a smooth line of events. The narrative is tricky, but the script really helps deliver the plot with ease and makes the film really simple to follow. There are quite a few bits within the film to remember, but they are spaced enough apart for you to not forget them and therefore help you realise the rest of the narrative.

The cast is a very impressive line up with Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska amongst Tom Hardy as Forrest Bondurant and Shia LaBeouf as Jack Bondurant that I have already mentioned. The stand-out performances for me were Hardy, Pearce and LaBeouf. Jessica and Mia were very good as supporting actresses and complimented both Shia and Tom in their relationships respectively. Pearce played his evil role as a rogue sheriff very well. He was frightening and cold throughout as he made very unpredictable moves towards the Bondurant brothers.

Furthermore, Hardy and LaBeouf were outstanding together with great chemistry and also strong leading actors when they had separate scenes. It won't be long before Tom Hardy gets the Oscar gong.

The costume and arts department thrived in this action-drama as the clothes, make up, vehicles and settings were dazzling with old fashioned three-piece suits and vintage cars on display. The make-up was phenomenal on the characters during and after the fight scenes. It looked so real you wanted to look away. All aspects of the misc-en-scene and the cinematography of the film were impressive.

The Verdict
To sum up, I believe the film will reap credit and become very critically acclaimed as Hillcoat and Cave have unearthed a gem in adapting this novel by Matt Bondurant into a feature film. The acting was delivered at the highest calibre cementing an already solid script into a masterpiece. I cannot speak highly enough about this movie, it is a must-see for the action and thrill seekers but it definitely isn't for the faint-hearted. It is no way near a horror, you see every bit of gore coming but sometimes that can be worse. Catch Tom Hardy now before he is a multi-award winning legend.



Star Rating: 5/5

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